The Serene, a 440-foot super yacht, docks in Seattle (Slide Show)

The Serene, a 440-foot personal yacht of Russian vodka titan Yuri Scheffler, docked at the Port of Seattle’s Pier 90 on Sunday, Aug. 18, shortly after noon. The $330 million super yacht passed by Holland America's Oosterdam, and backed in next to the Princess Cruise's Golden Princess with no problem, its massive thrusters seemingly turning the huge ship on a dime.

Scheffler controls the SPI Group, a company that has the rights to distribute the Stolichnaya brand vodka outside Russia, but not, according to several accounts, in the United States.

The Serene, with its crew of 52, and flying the flag of the Grand Cayman Islands, has been in Vancouver, British Columbia, for several months. It was built in Italy and launched in 2011. It has been spotted in ports of call all around the world. This is its first foray into Seattle, and, according to those who work the Seattle docks and harbors, the Serene is the biggest private yacht to ever come into our waters.

I hopped a ride on a Boston Whaler to speed out to Bainbridge and follow it in on the last leg of its foray into Seattle on Sunday morning. I heard the Serene talking to Seattle Harbor Patrol, giving them a very polite heads up that "the large yacht Serene" was about the reach the harbor, and then getting polite instructions as to where to dock.

At least 8 helicopters flew above the Serene and many boats sped around it, all checking it out. It is something to see. It has been featured in any number of boating magazines and online articles.

It is more than 60 feet wide. One account says the Serene is equipped with every system and amenity conceivable. There’s a very large indoor saltwater pool, two helicopter landing platforms and garage-like storage for a large submarine and tender. The submarine can dive to 300 feet.

The yacht has hot and cold Jacuzzis, and a jet stream exercise pool. An upper-deck pool is 50 feet long. There lounges, bars, spas, elevators, a powder-generating “snow room” for kids, a cigar lounge, hair salons, many galleys and wine cellars, a theater, and a room they call “Nemo” that has a glass bottom to view the waters beneath. There’s a grand dining room, smaller dining areas, and a plethora of pizza ovens and grills. And somewhere in all that is a spiral staircase that reaches six of the seven decks.

Pulling legally close in the Whaler, I still had to crane my neck to get a good look at this luxe ship, which can take several dozen guests in its 24 well-appointed staterooms.

Is the owner on board? We don’t know. What we do know is that there is a Seattle yacht agent who acts as a go-between to cater to every need of those on board the ship -- all the flowers, wine, any supplies, all work to be done on the vessel -- anything.

If the Serene stays here for 30 days, it will likely spend $2.7 million in our area. Double that if she stays for 60 days. That figure comes from Peter Schrappen of the Northwest Marine Trade Association, who says there is a formula for calculating what will be spent by these super yachts. “Just think about all the workers this boat employs while it is here, literally thousands of people from grocery workers to florists, to butchers, computer technicians, people that run the town cars and so much more. All the ancillary components to keeping this boat afloat,” he says.

And Greg Lill at DeLille Cellars has been requested to arrange a special wine dinner for those on board, which he will do in the days ahead.

You may remember that the 380-foot Luna, which is one of several giant yachts owned by Russian business tycoon Roman Abramovich, was also docked here not long ago. It spent $900,000 on fuel alone on one single day in Seattle, before it left for San Diego. Another yacht, the 147-foot Cracker Bay, spent $30,000 topping off its tanks before heading to Alaska.